I went to two weddings over the past two weeks. Thankfully, both were within driving distance of our home, so we didn’t have to commute, and there was no overlap in guests between the two other than my husband and I, so I could wear the same outfit to both. I love love, but I love straightforward logistics even more.

I will always say that my wedding was the best! I love my husband! We put a lot of work into that party! IT was full of all of the people we love the most in this world! Yadda yadda yadda!

But, before getting married myself, I viewed other people’s weddings like a buffet. “Let’s do that during our ceremony,” “let’s definitely not do that during cocktail hour,” “make sure our DJ doesn’t play that song,” “who can we ask to do that at ours?”, etc etc. I’m sure other married-couples-to-be view weddings the same way! Therefore, because of the amount of time that has passed since our wedding (which felt, at the time, like part of a large post-covid wedding boom), I do feel like the weddings that we’ve been to have been steadily getting better over time. This makes me happy for, and only a teeny bit jealous of, my friends!

Looking back, I’m proud of what my husband and I were able to put together, using mostly our own time and resources. But I’ve been to many weddings since that have made me think, man, I wish I had thought of that.

Custom illustrations? Creative portraits? Social media managers? Cutesy displays? Actually useful party favors and give aways? Activities that aren’t dancing? etc etc???

I hope I never get tired of going to weddings. I hope I never get to lose the the thrill of seeing friends that I haven’t seen in a long time. I hope I never stop taking a tiny gasp when the bride starts walking down the aisle. I hope I never stop appreciating the little details – in decor, in speeches, or on the dancefloor – that remind me that this is (hopefully!) the happiest day of the life of someone that I really care about.

(Unfortunately, there are parts of a wedding that I have already grown tired of. Unfortunately, that list is mostly “Dancing to Mr. Brightside” over and over, with “overcooked chicken breast” thrown in a few times for good measure. We can’t all be perfect!)

I got to see one of my favorite bands, OK Go, perform last night!

During the concert, the band made a comment about one of the band members, Andy, being the “new kid”, having only been their guitarist for the last 22 years.

“Oh, since I was 10 years old!” I joked to my friends. I realized later on that 16 years ago, I was 16 years old. Half my life has passed since my sweet 16 birthday!

Anyway, the show was amazing! The setlist included so many nostalgic songs – like, songs that I remember listening to in my iPod with wired headphones, half-asleep on the bus to high school.

I’ve tried listening to more modern artists, but very few songs provide the same dopamine hit like music that I listened to in high school. After returning home, I listened to more familiar music while I finished my wind-down routine and escaped back into my teenage self again for just a couple of minutes.

So much has changed since that time – I live in a completely different state, almost all of my friends are completely different, and I’m married (!) with a job (!!) and a child (!!!). I’ve run 2 marathons (yay!) and am still in so much student loan debt (boo!).

After that night, my biggest takeaway was not actually about me or my high school life – it’s that my baby girl has her entire life ahead of her. She’ll get to make her own memories on the school bus! She’ll find her own artists that make her think, “Music was better when I was a teenager”! She’ll get to reflect on where her life will take her! The circle of life continues!